Doctors Make The Best Patients
by Sahar-Chan
Summary: Sakura has been poisoned. She is weak from her treatments and needs a few days to recover. Sasuke happily volunteers to play nanny both to keep an eye on her, and to discover who poisoned her... and it may or might not have something to do with wanting to get close to her.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, I haven't written anything in a couple of months and my writing skills seem to have shriveled down to nothingness. So, this is just…yeah, it's not good. But I needed to write and publish something so there it is. I hope that it's not too bad.**

**Also, the rating of this fanfic may go up to M. I'm having some smexy thoughts about this fanfic :P But, nothing is sure yet!**

**Disclaimer: I do own Naruto… NOT.**

**_Doctors Make The Best Patients: Chapter One_**

….

"Sakura-"

"I'm fine."

"You're hurt."

"It's a surface cut, Naruto," Sakura sighed. "I'll heal it."

"Your chakra's depleted."

"Then it'll heal by itself. I'll just dab some disinfectant on it, bandage it again and it'll be fine."

The blond just pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at her injured arm as if he could intimidate the wound into healing.

She'd been healing a fellow ninja who had been injured during a battle. Probably in shock and thinking he was still in battle, he hadn't appreciated her touching her and had lashed out with a kunai. They had to sedate the ninja before taking his vitals and taking him into surgery.

Because she had been in the middle of a shift, she had simply slapped a bandage on it and continued her work.

But all through the rest of her shift, she'd kept thinking about the incident. Sakura had found it weird that they hadn't stripped him of all his weapons as the nation's protocol dictated when it came to admitting all ninjas to a hospital. They couldn't have weapons in the hospital both for the safety of the staff and the patients. She'd decided to talk to someone about it later.

…And, now she found that she forgot to do so. It was going to have to wait till tomorrow. She was tired to her bones. She looked at Naruto. He was still glaring at her arm.

"Really, Naruto. I'm fine. I'll take care of it when I get home. Then, I'll be healthy as a horse."

"You know? You do look a little bit like a horse," Sai helpfully intoned.

Sakura gave him the stink eye. He was lucky her chakra levels were in the shitter, otherwise, she'd already have him six feet under. She suspected that Sai was already over his social obliviousness and continued to make these kinds of remarks solely for his personal enjoyment. She had no evidence to support her theory. But, she had a gut feeling about it and her gut had yet to disappoint her.

She was currently having dinner with the former members of Team Seven, aside from Kakashi who was on assignment somewhere. And by the former members of Team Seven, she did indeed include Sasuke. True to his nature, he hadn't spoken a word to her –or really anyone else- throughout the meal. Instead, he seemed to be content just eating his rice –they weren't eating ramen, yay- with the diligence he put into every task he undertook. Which made her think of him undertaking other activities with diligence… _Nope, not going there!_

Since he'd been back two and a half years ago, their interactions were limited to the strictest of circumstances: her treating him for an injury, discussing a mission or something of that nature. Other than that, they had been civil to each other but hadn't engaged in a conversation that had more than five sentences.

That was perfectly fine by her. Totally. It wasn't like she still had feelings for him. She sneaked a look at him and barely stopped her cheeks from going red.

Okay, maybe lust, but that was absolutely it.

She let out a big yawn and it wasn't just because she was trying to hide the fact that she was staring at him. She was about to fall asleep in her chair. A thirty six hour shift in the hospital would do that to anyone.

"Listen, I'm heading home to catch up on some Zs."

"And to clean the wound?" Naruto insisted.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "And to clean the wound."

She hopped off her stool, gave Sai and Naruto a hug and waved awkwardly at Sasuke.

After disinfecting the wound as she'd promised, Sakura got into her room and flopped down on the bed. As always, against her will, her eyes drifted to the picture on her nightstand of the old Team Seven. Specifically, it drifted to the young scowling raven-haired boy. Her heart squeezed painfully. It'd been years, she should be over this by now. Every night before she went to sleep, she made the decision to put the picture somewhere else, or store it away, on the worst days; she'd decide to burn it. By the time morning came around, she never did.

Heaving a great sigh, she pulled the covers over her head and drifted to sleep.

_**Later that night…**_

Like he did every night for the past week after his nightly training sessions with Naruto, Sasuke jumped from a tree branch into the garden making sure he was silent and unseen by passersby. Every day, after practice, he'd come by her place, do a parameter check for precisely two minutes, make sure she was okay then he'd leave.

This started when he first glimpsed Sakura's name on a file in the Hokage's office. Like a moth to a flame, he'd come back at night to the office (_broke into the office_), read the file and hadn't been able to go home without checking on her ever since.

_Creeping around her house without her knowledge is already pretty stalker-ish,_ an annoying voice piped up in his head. _And a just little bit obsessive. _Sasuke mentally shrugged. He never pretended to be sane… But she made him feel sane. Besides, he wasn't doing this for entirely selfless reasons. From what he'd discovered earlier this week, just seeing her house seemed to loosen the noose that he constantly felt gripping his head –and his heart. Just for two minutes every day, he didn't feel like drowning under the weight of his guilt, his sorrow. Keeping her safe had become detrimental to his sanity -which was questionable at best.

Usually, at this late hour, he'd find her lights off as she'd either be in the hospital or asleep already.

Tonight, the lights were on.

It wasn't a big deal but for some reason, it sent warning bells ringing in his head. Deciding to investigate further, despite all reasonable thought, he'd headed to her doorstep.

He rang the door bell and listened. There was no response and no sound coming from the house.

Maybe she was asleep and simply forgot to turn the lights off, he thought. He rang the bell again.

And, again…And, again.

His stomach clenched uncomfortably and suddenly, he was seven years old again and coming home to find his parents slaughtered by his brother. His head swam and his heart beat sounded so loud and fast in his ears. He resisted the urge to cover his ears and squeeze. He hadn't been this close to a panic attack in close to a decade.

Sasuke breathed through the panic and got out a kunai making quick work of the lock. He made a mental note to get Sakura better security measures for her house.

"Sakura," he called.

There was no answer. He let himself in and headed to the living room… and felt the blood drain from his face.

A trail of blood ruined the previously pristine carpet that decorated the living room floor. From the splashing pattern, whoever it was, had headed from the stairs to the living room near a telephone and then ambled over to the bathroom. Before he even gave the command to his body, he found himself stepping into the bathroom and falling to his knees beside Sakura's unconscious body. She was sprawled on the floor on her stomach in a pool of blood. Her skin was ghost-white and her hair was floating in the crimson liquid, some of it was plastered to her skull. Sasuke, who hadn't been in touch with any powers that be in over a decade, started praying fervently.

_Don't be dead. _

_Don't be dead. _

_Don't be dead. _

The thought echoed through his mind as he checked her vitals. Her pulse was weak and dangerously slow but it was still there. Her breathing was faint too but there was no chest murmuring. Her skin was clammy and, from what he can tell, her body temperature has dropped. He checked for any trauma or breaks in her neck or spine. Finding none, he turned her on her back and checked for injuries. The only one that he saw was the large gash in her arm. It was probably the source of all the blood on the floor. He grabbed a small towel from the rack next to him and ripped off the bottom of his shirt. He used the towel to put pressure on the wound and secured it tightly around the arm with the piece of his shirt trying not to cut off the circulation in her arm. He picked her up in his arms as gently and he could and, still praying, he headed for the hospital.

Sasuke had never run as fast as he did that night. Because of the intensive training session he had just before going to check on her, Sasuke's legs cramped. But, he barely noticed their protests. Instead, he pushed through the shards of pain that shot up to his brain and focused solely on getting Sakura to the emergency room.

Halfway there, he felt her stir against him and let out a pained moan.

"Sakura?"

"Hmm."

"What happened?"

"H-Had to get it out. Phone won't…won't work… I had to get it out."

"Had to get what out?"

She closed her eyes and seemed to drift back into unconsciousness but he needed whatever information he could get to give to the doctors at the ER.

"Sakura!"

She made an annoyed noise in the back of her throat but opened her eyes.

"You had to get what out?" he asked again.

"Poison."

_Shit!_

"What kind?" he asked as he ran harder.

"Beautiful…lady…"

Aaaand she was out for the count. He tried calling her name, shaking her. She wouldn't response. Going into what other people would probably label as total and utter freak-out mode, Sasuke ran even harder than before ignoring his screaming legs.

Less than a minute later, he burst through the ER's door.

"I need a doctor," he yelled.

A doctor came running and halted for a fraction of a second when she recognized him and the woman in his arms. But, her training quickly caught up with her surprise and led him to a gurney. Carefully, he lowered Sakura to the thin mattress.

"Do you know what happened?" the doctor asked as she checked Sakura's vital signs and started to unwound the make-shift bandage around her arm.

"She said she was poisoned and then she said something about a beautiful lady."

"Anything else?"

"No."

Two nurses came, helped the doctor set up an IV line, and started carting the gurney away. Sasuke followed but one of the nurses put a hand on his chest.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to stay here and let us handle it," he said.

Sasuke gave him his infamous death glare. Most men ran for the hills when faced with this look. This one however gulped audibly (and might have shook a little) but otherwise stood his ground.

Sasuke didn't trust anyone with her but he knew that he had to. Resisting the urge to run his fist through the wall, he backed down. He had to call the rest of the team anyway; they'd want to hear about this. And they would help him track down whoever did this to Sakura and strangle them with their own intestines.

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**I hope you guys liked that! So, I have already written the second and third chapter. But, they're in desperate need of editing. So, if you're a good beta-reader or if you know a good beta-reader that's willing to work with me on this fanfic, please contact me. Just send a PM or something. I'm desperate.**

…**REVIEW, please****! *puppy dog eyes***

**Peace-out**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh my dear Lord! The response this fanfic got had me in tears! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. You guys are the absolute best 3 **

**The reviews also got me updating the fic much sooner than I thought I would. So, here is the second installation of Doctors Make The Best Patients.**

**Disclaimer: I do own Naruto… NOT.**

**_Doctors Make The Best Patients: Chapter Two_**

….

Sasuke made the calls. Ten minutes later, Team Seven as well as Ino –who Naruto had called- were gathered up in the hospital's waiting room driving the staff crazy with their questions. At least, most of them were. While Sai, Naruto and Ino tested the sanity levels of the nurses and doctors, Sasuke leaned on a wall in the corner, arms crossed and head bowed.

Anyone that looked at him would probably think him indifferent to what was going on around him and maybe even bored. The truth was Sasuke was trying to contain his rage. He hadn't felt this type of animalistic urge to hurt someone for a very long time –if ever. Every time he thought he finally had his temper reigned, the image of Sakura lying in a pool of her own blood plastered itself to his frontal lobe and his vision went red.

An agonizing hour later, the doctor that helped put Sakura in the gurney stepped into the waiting room and was instantly pounced upon by everyone in the waiting room except for Sasuke. He could hear just fine from his corner and, in his current mood, he didn't trust himself around anyone.

"It's just so typical of doctor Haruno to know the poison just from the symptoms. She was poisoned with _Atropa bella-donna_, commonly known as belladonna, which literally translates to beautiful lady. The toxin was modified slightly to work its way into her system more slowly. Her diagnosis has helped us verify the poison faster and give her the anti-toxin faster. We also had to do a blood transfusion because she's lost too much of it. She's out of the danger zone. But just in case, we're going to keep her overnight for observation and we should be able to discharge her tomorrow morning."

The tension that permeated the room was defused.

"Can we see her?" Naruto asked.

"You can, but she's sleeping right now and I'd rather you not wake her. She's exhausted so I'm afraid I'm only going to allow one person in the room."

"I'll be very quiet," Naruto volunteered.

"Naruto, do you even know the definition of quiet?" Ino asked.

Naruto glared. "Look who's talking."

A glaring war ensued between the two blonds.

"I can go," Sai suggested.

"I'll call you in the morning," Sasuke said already headed for Sakura's room. He didn't know what was driving him to her; all he knew was that he had to be next to Sakura and watching over her right now. He could analyze his instincts later.

"Wait, you teme! You can't just choose for all of us."

Sasuke ignored him, instead focusing on Sakura's faint chakra signal.

He followed it, found her room and let himself in.

There was a chair in the corner behind the door. He dragged it next to the bed and sat. Then and only then did he allow himself to look at her.

He drew in a ragged breath and his vision went red again.

Her skin was still pale –although not as pale as an hour and a half ago. Her hair was still caked with red. Sunken in the hospital bed, hooked to all those bleeping machines, she seem so vulnerable, so breakable.

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair then scrubbed it down his face in an attempt to stop its shaking. What was going on here? Why was he still so shaken up? Before, she had been hurt and possibly dying. So, his panic was kind of justified. As her teammate and former friend, he cared about her. So, of course he was shaken up when he saw her in the bathroom. But, why was he still trembling now?

And, for that matter, why did he insist on staying with her? Any of the team members or Ino could have handled this. What was it about this woman that had made him so protective of her? Made him…need to be around her.

After the emotional rollercoaster that he went through tonight, he could no longer deny it. He was more invested in her that he liked to be. Perhaps more than he was in any other person.

_Fan-freakin'-tastic!_

He let out a curse.

He must have done it louder than he intended because she stirred on the bed, let out a miserable sound that made _him_ miserable and opened her eyes. She seemed to be confused for a moment.

"Hey," he said softly.

She turned her head his way. "Hey" she rasped "why am I…Oh."

"So you remember what happened?"

"Most of it… I think. Uh, thanks for taking me to the hospital."

_And thank_ you _for nearly giving me a heart attack_. Sasuke refrained from saying that. "Feeling better?" he supposed that was what normal people asked. But really, what did he know about normal?

Kami, he needed to work on his non-existing social skills. But right now, what he really wanted was to grill her about what happened at the house before he got there. And then, to hold her close for an hour or ten.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she hesitated a little, "a bit dizzy and thirsty."

"The doctor said that you'll recover but you're going to have to take it easy for the next couple of days."

He took a bottle of water that was set on the nightstand, opened it and offered it and then he realized that she couldn't drink in her position.

"Do you…" cough, "Do you want to sit up so you can drink?"

"Yes, please."

He set the bottle back down on the nightstand. Even though he had no problem scooping her up in his arms an hour ago, he now found himself moving awkwardly. Him, an Uchiha! Awkward! His ancestors must've been rolling in their graves.

He put one arm around her shoulders bring her to him. He could have sworn she cuddled closer to his chest. He liked that…a lot. What the hell was wrong with him?

Mentally shaking his head, he adjusted the pillows. She scooted back and sat up against the pillows with a sigh of relief as if the simple act of sitting has drained her energy. He gritted his teeth in frustration and rage.

He handed her the bottle and watched as she brought it to her lips with her uninjured hand but the bottle shook.

* * *

><p>Frustrated tears sprang unbidden to Sakura's eyes. <em>Why does it have to be him? <em>Sakura thought. Of all the people that had to witness her being as weak as a newborn baby, why did it have to be him? What could she possibly have done in a previous life to earn her this humiliation? Sacrificed children to an evil God? Killed puppies? What?

Sakura willed her arm muscles to work like they were supposed to. But, they still declared mutiny. If anything, the shaking got harder, and the water splashed inside the bottle threatening to spill. Giving up, she lowered the bottle carefully.

A hand wrapped around her own.

"I'll do it," Sasuke said not meeting her eyes.

She nearly lost it there. She nearly started bowling her eyes out. By some kind of divine intervention, she managed not to.

"Thanks," she muttered, loosening her death grip on the bottle, and resigning herself to her fate.

He raised the bottle to her lips and tipped it. She drank gratefully. And, when a little water ran down her chin, her hand came up to wipe it but his hand was faster and her hand ended up cupping his. She nearly choked on the water. He pulled the bottle back.

"More?" he asked

"No, thank you."

That was really all she'd been saying since she woke up "_yes", "no", "please", _and_ "thank you". _Apparently his monosyllable-ness was rubbing off on her.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?" he asked.

Sakura was startled. Sasuke Uchiha, _the_ Sasuke Uchiha was initiating conversation. Tonight sure was turning out to be full of surprises.

Sakura cleared her throat.

"What I remember was waking up at about eleven pm and feeling really dizzy and thirsty. My arm was also throbbing. So, I took off the bandage and I saw that the wound was swollen and that there was discoloration around it. I suspected that I've been poisoned. I…I grabbed a kunai off the nightstand and reopened the wound to get as much of the poison out as I could. But, I must have gone too deep and nicked a major vein …I really don't remember it all that well."

She took a deep breath and looked at her bandaged arm, "And then, I went downstairs, tried to call an ambulance, but the line was dead. At this point, my cut was bleeding too much, so I went to the bathroom for bandages. And that's pretty much all that I can remember… Wait, I also remember hearing…uh, your voice." She cleared her throat again. Damned thing seemed to be clogged up!

"So, whoever made that cut probably did it with a poisonous weapon."

"Yeah, but, I've treated the ninja who accidentally cut me before. I've even talked to him .He's actually pretty sweet." She smiled as she remembered his wicked sense of humor. "He said that he didn't dip his weapons in poison. He was afraid of it being used against him or him accidently nicking himself. That's why it hadn't even occurred to me to check the injury for poison. It was really just an unfortunate accident."

"But, accidental or not, the poison still came from his weapon."

"Yeah, I guess."

Cue the awkward silence.

Sakura looked up at him and was slightly taken aback. He had this feral look in his eyes, kind of like the one he used to have right before the cursed seal activated.

"Sasuke," she whispered.

And wasn't that just like the good old days? Him getting out of control, her trying to pull him back from the abyss. _Yeah, good times_. Her heart squeezed in her chest…really good times.

The door to the room suddenly opened and Sasuke seemed to snap out of whatever state he was in. A nurse came in.

"Hi, Dr. Haruno! Just came to check in on you."

"Hey, Amaya."

"I was hoping you'd be sleeping and recuperating. But, I see someone woke you up," she said glaring at Sasuke. Only this forty-year old brave nurse would dare to reproach an Uchiha. Sakura did love the hospital staff.

Sasuke ignored the nurse's dirty look.

"So, when can I leave?" Sakura had enough of the hospital while working in it. She really didn't want to stay in it when she wasn't.

"So eager to leave us?" the nurse teased.

"Oh, yeah," she replied unashamedly.

Amaya moved to Sakura's IV and pushed what had to be pain killers into it. "Well, the doctor said that you should be good to go by tomorrow morning. But, you're going to have to take it easy for the next four days or so. That means bed rest for the next two days and only minor tasks for the next two. Do you have someone to take you home and stay with you for the next couple of days?"

"Yeah, I guess I can call-"

"I'll do it," Sasuke interrupted.

Sakura whipped around and stared at Sasuke. She had officially entered the twilight zone.

"I'm sorry?" she couldn't have possibly heard that right. He couldn't be offering to -no, he couldn't be…right?

"I'll take her home and stay with her," he addressed Amaya, completely ignoring and pissing off Sakura. Did she have no choice in the matter?

The older woman gave him a knowing look. "You take good care of her now. She needs rest. That means no monkey business, at least for now, you understand?"

Wait, what? Huh? Oh, God. "No, Amaya it's not like that. He's just-"

"Yes, ma'am, I understand," He interrupted.

Sakura swore she'd kill him as soon as she could get out of bed on her own…and focus on the room. Those pain killers were kicking in.

The nurse looked at Sakura and pointed to the soon-to-be dead man, "That one's a keeper."

Before Sakura could clarify the situation, Amaya left the room.

**_0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_**

**So, that's all I have for now, folks. I'm still looking for a beta-reader. So, if anyone here is up for the job contact me or PM me. Again****, I'm pretty desperate. Could I sound anymore pathetic? Anyway, I'm working on the third chapter. This was supposed to be a three-part fic, AT MOST. But, it has taken a life of its own. It's scary!**

**Anyway…****REVIEW, please****! *puppy dog eyes***

**Peace-out**


	3. Chapter 3

**So this chapter turned out longer than the other ones. I just couldn't figure out where to end it. So, I just kept it as is. This chapter is my favorite so far because it was so easy and fun to write.**

**And, can I just say that you guys are the most awesome readers ever?! Thank you to anyone who has reviewed, followed or added this story to their favorites list. I love you! Also, a huge, monstrous thanks to ****Wrathran**** for beta-reading this chapter. You're a joy to work with! **

**Disclaimer: I do own Naruto… NOT.**

**_Doctors Make The Best Patients: Chapter Three_**

….

Sasuke knew that Sakura probably wanted to murder him. But, he had no regrets. Just the idea of leaving her so vulnerable in someone else's hands was abhorrent to him. He had let his instincts guide him and they were screaming at him to stay with her because this wasn't over yet. But, he'd make sure it would be.

He watched as she finally succumbed to sleep. Even though his basic instinct was to watch over her, Sasuke went to make a few of phone calls.

* * *

><p>Sakura was discharged from the hospital the next day. Naruto, Sai and Ino were there. Sasuke wheeled her out to the hospital door where she insisted that she could walk. Tuned out, she couldn't and Naruto had to catch her before she face-planted on the concrete.<p>

The group was a little taken aback when they learned that Sasuke volunteered to play nurse with her. But, they got over it pretty quickly, unlike her who was still reeling from that fun fact. After being cuddled, mothered and hovered over within an inch of her life by her friends, she and Sasuke took a cab back to her place.

When they finally arrived, she was a little reluctant to leave the cab and face the mess she'd left in her house. Her bathroom had to be scrubbed clean of all that blood. And, her carpet! Her beautiful white carpet! There was no way she could ever get the blood out of it. She really liked that carpet and now it had to go.

She took a moment to mourn its loss then forced herself out of the cab. Before she could get her legs to support her weight, Sasuke was beside her. He seemed to understand her need to walk to the house on her own and not wanting to feel like an invalid because he wrapped an arm around her waist but didn't lift her. She draped an arm across his back for balance and proceeded _slowly _up her driveway and unto her front porch where she opened the door.

It took her fifteen minutes to get to the door, but, not once did he rush her.

So, maybe he wasn't completely devoid of empathy. He took her into his arms, entered the house, and, closed the door with his foot. If she wasn't so drain from her short walk, she might have been freaked out by the way he understood what she needed without her asking for it. As it was, she settled into the crook of his arms tiredly and waited to see the damage to her carpet.

But there was none. Her carpet was unblemished. It was completely white. Sakura narrowed her eyes. It was too white. Her carpet had yellowed over the years, but, this one was snow-white. It was…brand new.

"My carpet-"

"I ordered a new one," he said casually, as if going around and replacing ruined tapestries was part of his every day routine.

"Thanks," she said hopefully not letting on the fact that her heart was trying to kamikaze out of her ribcage. People only went this far out of their way if they cared. But, this was Sasuke she was talking about. Did that rule still apply? Did he really care? She was too exhausted to figure this out.

Whether he cared on not, this was still sweet of him. _If he kept this up, I might just fall back in love with him… NO! _As soon as that thought formed, she chased it away. Been there, done that, had the T-shirt to prove it. She wasn't going there again.

He took her upstairs into her room which was also scrubbed clean of blood. The man was too much!

He settled her into her bed, tucked her under the covers and backed away. She missed his warmth and his scent the minute he backed away.

"Do you need anything?"

She was going to say no but her stomach deemed it fitting in that exact moment to let out a dying-whale sound.

"Food," he said smirking.

_Yeah, sure Uchiha revel in my misery!_

* * *

><p>Sasuke went down to the kitchen. He tried to ignore the tingling in his hands. It was like in those few minutes that it took him to get her to her room, her warmth had seeped into his skin and now the ghost of it refused to leave him. It itched and teased him of what he couldn't have: her. In the minutes it took for him to get to her and know that she was alive, he had come to the realization that she had come to mean a lot more to him than he had previously thought. Even now, he still felt his body shake when he recalled the sight of her lying in a pool of her own blood.<p>

It didn't matter though. He knew better than to hope that she had the same feelings for him that she'd had as a child. He blew his chance a long time ago and now he had to learn to live with the consequences. And the consequences sucked.

He shook his head and opened the fridge. He was surveying its contents which consisted of exactly four items: a piece of cheese, a bottle of spoiled milk, a sad looking corpse of what used to be a lettuce and a container that he didn't dare open. How did she survive on this food? He flipped his phone open and dialed.

"Yo, teme!"

"Have you taken a look at that thing?"

"Not yet. I'm on my way. I should be there in ten minutes. Why? Has something happened?" Naruto's tone had a half angry and half panicked.

"No. But, I need you to bring some things," Sasuke said.

After Naruto brought the groceries, Sasuke made a quick chicken soup, poured it into two bowls and brought it upstairs

Sakura has turned on the TV and was watching some kind of series. She turned her head towards him and smiled.

"Babysitting suits you," she teased.

"Everything suits me," he teased back.

He was rewarded by a surprised burst of laughter.

"I got chicken soup," he said.

She scooted over to make room for him. He was actually planning on handing her her chicken soup and eating his in the living room and letting her rest. Maybe he was a jerk for taking advantage of the situation, but, he gave her her bowl and sat at on the side of the bed over the covers.

He watched as she tasted the soup.

"Mmm."

That sound was giving him thoughts he had no business having.

"This is good! I might just keep pretending to need help just so I can keep you and your food around," she said around another spoonful of soup.

"Speaking of food, you didn't have any in your fridge."

"I usually eat in the hospital or on my way over to the house." She paused. "And it might or might not have something to do with the fact that I'm a terrible cook."

He laughed. She turned back and looked at him in surprise.

"What?" he said resisting the urge to check his face for marks.

"You have dimples," she said as if that was the most curious thing in the world.

It took Sakura a couple of seconds to realize what she'd blurted out. She looked down and quickly stuffed her face with some chicken. Sasuke looked closer and realized she was blushing. His hands twitched with the effort it took him not to reach out, and put some more color in her cheeks. He would rub his thumbs along her jaw line and patiently wait for her to look up at him. He could almost see her eyes, gone a darker shade of green. Her lips would part sweetly for him. He would lean closer and-

He mentally smacked himself. What the heck was wrong with him? _Where do you want to start?_

They ate the rest of their meal in silence watching the reality show. They fished eating and put the empty dishes on the nightstand. Sasuke knew that that was his cue to go.

He didn't budge.

After a few minutes of watching two women fighting about one borrowing another's shirt, he felt a weight settle against him. Sakura had drifted to sleep and was snuggling into his side, her heat melting into him and boiling his blood. _She's asleep; she's still weak from the poison. You're an asshole but not enough to take advantage of this_, he reminded himself. He got out of the bed, tucked the blankets around her and walked out of the room.

…He spun back leaned down to place a kiss on her cheek and walked out again.

Yeah, he was in deep shit!

* * *

><p>Sakura woke up feeling refreshed and human again. And also very very hungry. She took off the blanket, got out of bed, stood on her feet …<p>

And fell right back on the mattress. Alright, she felt _almost_ human. She tried to get up again, much slower this time. She managed to remain upright by hanging onto furniture.

The trip downstairs was a test to her equilibrium which she barely passed. When she finally made it to the kitchen doorway, she congratulated herself on her endurance skill.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

Sakura jumped at the voice behind her losing her grip on the doorframe and nearly tumbling to the ground. Only Sasuke's quick reflexes saved her. He looped his arms around her and pulled her back against his chest. She couldn't help but lean up against him.

_You're in dangerous territory Haruno!_

She reluctantly tried to pull back, but, he held fast.

"What are you doing out of bed?" he repeated, this time whispering the words in her ear. She shivered and barely held back a moan. They should bottle that voice up and sell it. They'd make a fortune. It was the perfect combination of smooth and gravely sensual and dark. And, what was the question again? Oh, right.

"I'm feeling better and I was hungry. I figured I'd get something to eat," Sakura was appalled at how breathy and low her voice was. Could she be any more obvious? She needed to get over her attraction to him. Pronto!

"I've already made you breakfast that you'll eat in bed."

She stiffened against him. She was not a fan of being bossed around.

"Listen, Uchiha. I know that you're here to help and I appreciate it. But, I don't tolerate being bossed around. And, if I wanted to stay in my kit-"

She was swept off her feet mid-rant and into Sasuke's muscular arms. She glared up at him. "I don't want to go back there."

"Why not?" he asked as calm as could be. It wasn't like she was shooting daggers at him.

And, the answer to his question was that she bored and -maybe kind of- lonely there. Not that she would ever admit it. Having no acceptable answer, she miserable signed and slumped against him. And, she might have cuddled a bit into his chest. Man, it wasn't fair that muscles that hard are so freakin' cuddly.

Surprisingly, Sasuke stopped half-way up the stairs.

"Fine, where do you want to stay? It has to be somewhere you can lie down."

"The living room," she instantly said brightening up.

He led her there grumbling something about females and manipulation.

He settled her on the couch, handed her the remote and settled a glass of water. Then, he went and brought out a tray laden with all kinds of food. Waffles, toast, egg…and were those pancakes. She could really get used to having him around.

But, he was just here till she got better, she reminded herself.

Sasuke handed her the tray then sat next to her. Their elbows brushed. _Do not go in for a cuddle! Do not go in for a cuddle! Do not go in for a cuddle! _She kept the mantra going and stuffed her mouth with the waffles to distract herself from his closeness.

They stayed there in companionable silence for a few minutes

"I got Naruto to take a look at the phone line outside the house," he said out of nowhere.

Huh? "Why?"

"Don't you think it's a little suspicious that your phone went dead right when you needed it?" Alright, it was a little weird but she didn't really think about it. "The line was cut. From the neat edges of the cord, the cut was deliberate and was done most likely by a kunai."

"Would have been nice if I was told about this investigation earlier. And, why would someone do that?" Who would want her dead?

"That what Naruto and I are trying to find out. The main suspect obviously is the ninja that injured you."

"Accidentally! And, wait, what do you mean 'you and Naruto'? I'm a part of this," she had a bad feeling about this.

"You're can't help us in your current state."

"I can do some file research if you need me."

"No, you need to rest. Just let us handle it. You're too weak, right now."

* * *

><p>Sasuke realized his mistake the moment the words were out of his mouth. He knew how sensitive she was about that, how hard she had worked to not be labeled that anymore. All because of him, of what he'd done to her.<p>

And, now he'd gone ahead and did it again. _Shit! Nice going, Uchiha! Really you couldn't have messed up further if you'd wanted to._

She got up from the couch. She swayed on her feet and before he even knew it, he was on his feet steadying her.

"Weak," she said softly, head bowed.

"You know that's not-"

"Get out," her voice was a little louder.

"Sakura…" how was he supposed to save this clusterfuck?

"Get. Out!" she all but screeched, still looking at the floor.

"I can't just leave you here when there's an assassin coming after you!"

She gave a humorless laugh. "Like you care! Just Leave!"

He had left once. He had gone and broken her heart. She probably doesn't care anymore. But, he did. And he wasn't leaving her to think he didn't care again.

"No," he said.

"What?" Her head snapped up. Tears swam in her green eyes threatening to spill over. Slaying him! She was absolutely slaying him with her pain. A pain he's caused.

"I'm not leaving," he said, hoping that she can tell that he wasn't just talking about today.

She looked at him with the most devastated expression on her face. The tears finally dropped.

"You can't make that promise," her voice was little more than a trembling whisper.

Who knew that someone else's tears could make you physically hurt?

He couldn't handle seeing her like this. So, he did something stupid. It was probably the last this she wanted. And, she'd probably be mad as hell. But, mad was better than this. Anything was better than this.

Knowing that this was probably his only chance of ever doing this, Sasuke did what he'd been craving for the last forty eight hours… or ten years if he was honest with himself. He cupped her cheeks, wiped away her tears with his thumbs. He thought that her cheeks couldn't possibly be as soft as he remembered them to be when he kissed her last night.

They were. They were unbelievably soft.

Sakura froze under his touch. She looked at him, startled. A sheen of tears still glistened in her eyes.

_Don't hurt! Just don't hurt._

He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. He meant to give her just a little kiss to get her riled up. Idiot that he was, he thought he could stop at that. But, her taste… dear Kami.

One of his hands went to her neck coaxing her closer while his lips tasted every delectable part of hers.

He expected her to push him away. But, she didn't. Instead, she made the sound in the back of her thread that sent his pulse skyrocketing and she moved closer to him.

That was all the invitation he needed. He pulled to him till her curves molded to his hardness.

* * *

><p>Sakura was lost. Completely and utterly lost. Was she making a huge mistake? Probably. Did she care? Not right now, she didn't. Her thought process seemed to be resumed in one word: "More." And she was going to get it.<p>

Suddenly, Sasuke froze against her.

She pulled back. What the heck was she doing?

"Get down," he said.

Before she could question him, he dragged her down to the carpet. Above them, the windows shattered in a shower of glass. She heard something hit the wall opposite the windows.

There were more than two dozen kunais lodged in the wall. If they had been standing, they'd have been minced meat by now.

Someone jumped in through the broken window.

"You're really hard to kill, you know that?" he said.

**_0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_**

**So, I think this will be over by the next chapter…that I have yet to write. It might take a little longer to finish it than these chapters. But, I hope to finish this before new year's eve. You know…for dramatic effect :P **

**Also, as you see, I've discovered the horizontal line thingy on fanfiction and I am having too much fun using it. I regret nothiiing!**

**Now see that lonely, empty box down there? Click on it and REVIEW!**

**Peace-out**


	4. Chapter 4

**Cyber cookies to all those who reviewed! You guys are the best. This chapter turned out to be super short. I guess that balances out the last chappie. So, this is the first fight scene I've written in a long time. So, this was kind of tricky. I actually wrote the most of the chapter in one sitting then it took three days of just staring at my computer screen to write the fight scene. Fun times!**

**Again, I want to thank ****Wrathran**** for beta-reading this chapter. You are made of awesome!**

**Disclaimer: I do own Naruto… NOT.**

**_Doctors Make The Best Patients: Chapter Four_**

….

She didn't recognize him.

"So, you're the one who poisoned her," Sasuke all but growled.

"Well, aren't you a smart little cookie," the man sneered back.

"Sakura," without taking his eyes off the intruder, Sasuke handed Sakura his phone. "Take it, and go upstairs. Call Naruto. Tell him to come and bring a cleanup crew with him. They're going to have to scrape his remains off the floor. I'll just have to buy you a new carpet, again."

"Aren't we arrogant this morning?"

Sakura knew that in her current condition, she was more of a hindrance than an asset. So, she decided to do as she was asked. She backed away from the living room and headed for the stairs.

She barely ducked out of the way of the kunai aimed at her head.

"Now, now, Sakura-chan," the ninja tut-tutted and shook his head, "didn't anyone tell you that it's rude to leave your guests alone when they visit."

"The only thing you'll be visiting is the hospital morgue, asshole," Sasuke growled. "In a body bag." This was so not the appropriate time to admire how attractive his growl was!

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Oh, right. I forgot that you don't recognize me. I'm this guy."

In a puff of smoke, he transformed into the ninja who cut her.

"But, you're a good guy." She was confused. "You… You couldn't have been him. You couldn't have held the Henge no Jutsu when you were injured or…or in surgery. You…were nice." She knew how lame and naïve she sounded but she just couldn't get over her initial impression of him.

* * *

><p>"Oh, he was probably a nice man. Too bad I had to kill him and take his place. Ah, well, life sucks when you're a pathetic excuse for a ninja. It took me under three minutes to slit his throat and bury the body. "<p>

Sasuke recognized the ninja the minute he burst through the window. Kaito Kimura, a Sound rogue ninja. His name was mentioned on the file he'd taken from the hokage's office. The file contained every reward or bounty made on Sakura's head as well as a list of confirmed or possible assassins that were or are still hired to kill her. The file was big and heavy. Sasuke had studied it over and over every night after he was done with his stalker duty. This ninja's face was in it. His face was among those mercenaries that were hired to kill Sakura. And, that meant the man wasn't leaving this house alive.

Sasuke kept the man talking. He obviously thought that he would actually succeed in killing them. As tempting as it was to kill the annoying mercenary and shut him up once and for all, Sasuke needed to see if he had accomplices with him. He also needed to learn who hired him and why.

"As for the injury and the surgery, a 'friend' helped make the cut and keep the Henge in place while I was unconscious. Now, enough with the chit-chat, let's get down to business."

Kaito exploded into motion heading straight for Sakura. He was fast, Sasuke would give him that much. But, Sasuke was much faster. He tackled the merc sideways bringing them both to the ground.

The merc seemed surprised at Sasuke's level of skill. He probably thought that he was some kind of low level body guard.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, picking himself off the ground.

Sasuke let his Sharingan bleed into his eyes. "The wrong man to mess with," he answered before charging him.

Sasuke struck with a kunai. But, the guy dodged it –barely.

"Sasuke Uchiha," he whispered in a satisfyingly scared shitless tone.

Sasuke smirked. He could easily kill the cretin. But, if he wanted information, he'd have to bring him in alive. This might prove a little difficult seeing as every molecule in his body screamed at him to end the merc's miserable little life.

He pulled out his sword. Kaito's eyes went around the room obviously looking for an exit. Good. The guy realized he was in way over his head. Maybe he wasn't so stupid after all. But, that didn't mean he was going to go easy on him. He hadn't had fun in quite a while.

He attacked again and again. The man dodged him. Or at least tried to. Sasuke took great satisfaction in making superficial cuts to the man's body. If that made him a psychopath, then he was fine with that. But, he _needed _to vent. He needed a target for the last forty eight hours of panic and emotional distress –not that he would ever admit to being in emotional distress.

And, so, he made the man suffer like the bastard did to Sakura.

The man cursed and attacked back. But, his counterattacks barely registered on his radar.

He finally realized that the man was bleeding too much. A couple of more cuts and he'd probably bleed out.

With a regretful sigh, he brought the base of his sword on the man's skull. Kaito instantly crumbled to the ground.

Someone burst through the door, and Sasuke raised his sword prepare to deal death to whoever planned on attacking. But, it was Naruto and Ino.

Naruto surveyed the carnage around the room. His eyes landed on the unconscious body. "Ah, man, I always miss all the fun."

Sasuke smirked. "He's been hired to kill Sakura. He was the one who poisoned her. He killed a ninja and impersonated him in order to get access to the hospital. He has admitted to having an accomplice. But he didn't say who." He looked at Ino. "But, I'm sure you can coax the information out of him."

"Since he went after Forehead, you bet your ass I can."

* * *

><p>"Sakura, are you alright? You look a little green," Naruto said.<p>

"Yeah, I'm just tired." But, her legs buckled under her. _Traitors_. Sasuke scooped her up from the floor.

"I'll take you to your room," he whispered. "Meanwhile, you guys clean up," he said louder in Ino's and Naruto's general direction. Without waiting for their answers, he headed upstairs.

"Why do we have to do the cleanup and you get to stay with Sakura-chan," Naruto complained.

Sasuke wisely decided to ignore him. He settled Sakura on the bed and sat next to her. Now, that the nightmare was over, they needed to talk about the kiss and the promise he made.

"Okay?" _Huh? _Sakura realized she was clenching and unclenching her hands.

"Yeah," she cleared her throat and let her hands drop on her lap, "Sasuke, about what happened before the attack… it's okay if you didn't mean it. We were both upset and there was a lot of tension and I understand. I guess what I'm trying to say is- Why are you smiling?"

"You know, for a smart woman, you can be as dumb as Naruto sometimes."

"Listen here, Uchiha!" She got up from the bed. Ready to show him just how 'dumb' she could be –hopefully without falling flat on her butt.

He chuckled. _Chuckled_. Asshole.

He took a hold of her arm and brought her down so she landed in his lap. Well, this wasn't awkward at all.

"Sasuke, what are you…" her question went right out the window with her brain because he had leaned down to kiss the side of her neck. But, she was mad at him.

Wasn't she?

Why was she mad at him again? Did it really matter when the man was doing heavenly things to the spot where her neck and shoulder met?

"You should know by now, Sakura, that I never say things I don't mean," He breathed on a whisper against her sensitized skin. A delicious shiver worked down her spine.

What was he talking about? Oh, yeah, his promise and their kiss earlier. Wait, did this mean what she thought it meant?

"I told you that I wasn't going anywhere and I meant it. I know that I've messed up beyond repair, that I don't deserve a second chance. And, I wasn't going to ask for it. But, then we kissed. And you responded so sweetly," he nuzzled her neck as if he was thanking her, as if her continuous attraction to him was a gift.

"A relationship can't be built on lust alone." Although, to be honest, lust was looking really good at the moment. It was a miracle that her brain could function on a level other than more-kisses-please, but, they needed to talk this out.

"I'll take what I can get and we'll build on that. Just give us a chance," Tempting. So very tempting! She could feel herself weakening by the second.

"How do I know that you won't leave again? How do I know that you won't…hurt me again?"

"I can't promise that I won't mess up in the future. I'm not an expert on this whole relationship thing. But, this I can promise: I will never leave you again. If I fail, I'll try again and again but I will never give up because you're worth fighting for."

Tears were freely falling from her eyes. She tucked herself into the nook in his neck to try to hide them.

"You know?" she said between hiccups. "For a man that's not good with relationships, you're really good at these speeches. But, you're going to have to earn my trust."

"I'll spend the rest of my life making up for what I've done. And, I _will_ gain back your trust."

"That confident of yourself?"

"Always. After all, I am an Uchiha."

She smiled at his arrogance.

"By the way, why were you in my house the night I was poisoned? Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but, why were you here?"

"I might or might not have been stalking you."

.

.

.

"Wait, what?"

**_0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_**

**So, I feel like Sasuke was OOC at the end. But, as my beta-reader pointed out, the occasion calls for it. I hope you liked the ending. I always seem to mess those up. It started out as a one-shot and ended up as a four-chapter fic…Well three and a half chapters. It's been crazy!**

**Now, give me an R! Give me an E! Give me a V! Give me an I! Give me an E (again?)! Give me a W! What does that spell? REVIEW!**

**Peace-out**


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